Page 19 of German

It was September.In California.I’m not sure the weather called for it.But, in the interest of keeping the peace, I decided to just agree.“I’ll grab something on my way out.”

“Maybe you should switch to pants.I hear it might rain tonight,” German suggested.

Shit!I’d forgotten to check the weather.My hair and rain did not mix!“Damn it, really?I didn’t even look.”

“You still have time to change,” German advised.“Richie Rich can wait.”

Catching on to what he was doing, my brow hiked.“You wouldn’t just be playing on my fear of frizz to get me to put on more clothes, would you, Christopher?”

German’s own brow hiked with my use of his first name.“I don’t care either way, Madelynn.I was just trying to be helpful.”

Picking up my cell, I quickly tapped the weather app.To my pleasure, I saw nothing but clear skies.“I don’t know where you get your weather reports, but I’d pick a new source if I was you.There’s absolutely no rain coming today or for the foreseeable future,” I smugly stated, waving my screen in his face.

German snagged the phone from my hand and tucked it in his back pocket.“Thanks.I’d almost forgotten to get that from you.My Brother Pipe needs to pull it apart.Make sure there’s nothing on there that shouldn’t be.”

I’d stepped into that one.I’d have to come to terms with my temporary phone.I brightened a bit when I reminded myself I was going out with Nathan.The man I’d lusted after since high school.My phone should be the last thing on my mind.

Despite this reminder though, I found I wasn’t half as nervous as I thought I’d be.Truthfully, I wasn’t half as excited as I thought I’d be, either.Maybe I was just numb from nerves?That must be it.I’d looked forward to this moment for so long, that I’d shut down emotionally when it had finally rolled around.

Gretchen walked into the kitchen and announced, “Mr.Nathan Ellington is waiting for you in the foyer, Ms.Framingham.”

“I’m coming,” I said, capping my bottle of water as I slid past German, my jacket now forgotten.

* * *

“Do you like your steak?”Nathan inquired, taking a careful sip of his vodka soda.

Finding my mind wandering, I smiled dutifully and said, “It’s perfect.Thanks.How’s your salad?”

I’d ordered the steak when Nathan had ordered the garden salad.I’m not saying I was judging, but, I can’t say I wasn’t, either.I mean, there’s nothing wrong with a salad, per se.I ate them all the time.Still, I’d thought when he’d ordered the appetizer salad, he was going to get something else, as well.When that was his entire order, I felt glutinous in comparison.A plain salad with nothing but olive oil to the side, minus croutons, left me second-guessing my steak and baked potato order.

“The salad’s great.Just how I like it,” the man enthusiastically returned, having the nerve to actually sound like he was excited by a handful of mixed greens and the odd cucumber here and there.

Extending the man a conversational life raft, I asked, “Did you have a late lunch or something today?”

“Nope,” Nathan answered, taking a small bite of lettuce coated in the barest hint of olive oil.“I had my regular salad at around one.”

Good God!The man ate a salad for lunchanddinner?That was cruel and unusual punishment if I’d ever heard it.“That doesn’t get boring?Salad for lunch and dinner,” I pressed out of morbid curiosity, taking a generous sip of my delicious pinot noir.

“Oh no.My afternoon salad had egg in it and my dinner salad has avocado on it.”

Struggling to hide my horror, I simply nodded and stuffed my mouth full of steak to quiet what I wanted to truly say.We stumbled through twenty more minutes of idle chit-chat before the waiter came over and asked us if we wanted to see the dessert menu.

As expected, Nathan shook his head and said, “I’m too full.We’re all set, thanks,” without even consulting me.

Annoyed that he hadn’t even checked to see if I wanted anything, I handed over my menu and my nearly empty plate.As much as I hated to admit it, the sooner this date ended, the better.Nathan and I had nothing in common.I realized, with the help of maturity and a dash of experience, that young me had only loved the boy for his good looks and killer abs.Abs, I realized, which were maintained by a strict keto diet and hours at the gym.At the end of the day, that oversight was on me, not Nathan.Not for the first time, I’d let my vagina lead the way.What I’d belatedly learned was that bitch had the worst sense of direction ever!

As Nathan paid the check, I wondered what German was doing in the parking lot.The thought of him, sitting on his motorcycle, tricked out in all leather, tall boots, and hidden behind a sleek, black helmet, kickstarted my libido in ways I was ashamed to admit.

What the hell was wrong with me?The man was a menace.Totally untamable.But maybe that’s why I found myself attracted to him.His motorcycle, tattoos, and direct manner all spoke to the wild side of me.If he were sitting beside me now, I was certain I wouldn’t be struggling to find things to say.The conversation would be flowing easily and we’d be fighting for a chance to speak.And you could be damn sure he wouldn’t have ordered a plain salad!Without even having dined with him before, I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Christopher German would have ordered a steak, rare, right alongside of me.

Gathering my belongings to go, Nathan led me out to the car, holding my hand.Opening the door for me, he waited until I strapped myself in before closing it and climbing into the driver's side.

When he took a left out of the parking lot instead of a right, I asked, “Isn’t the fastest route to my house in the opposite direction?”

I wasn’t trying to be a backseat driver, but maybe he’d accidentally taken a wrong turn in his zeal to get rid of me.Let’s face it.If I wasn’t having any fun on our date, I could pretty much assume he wasn’t either.There might also be some accident or road obstruction that he’d gotten an alert on his phone about that might make the route longer.If so, I knew these roads well and could direct him to the fastest route home.

“We’re not going to your house,” he cryptically stated, reaching over and squeezing my knee.

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